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Ari
Bring your biggest fan for the test, or set the tent up aft of a 777. The rain in Oshkosh doesn't follow a vertical path.
First time Oshkosh planning
- Thread starter Marc B
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francisco collazos
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ciscovet
Don't forget to bring a pineapple and place it up sidedown to show you are an AOPA member and special deals and discounts!!
Lowflynjack
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Jack Fleetwood
Since you're in Central Texas, and I want to do a photo shoot of your plane anyway..., after the NOTAM comes out, I usually print a bunch of copies and have everyone come to my hangar. I'll walk you through the important parts, highlight the areas you need to pay special attention to, give you tips, etc. There is no better place to camp than Vintage. We have nice showers, the trams run through the area, and it's pretty much show-center. You'll love it.
kyleb
Final Approach
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Drake the Outlaw
Wind is what destroys tents at Oshkosh. Pretty much any tent will keep the rain off of you until a 50 mph gust breaks the tent poles and the tent just collapses. Almost every year there is a storm that destroys numerous tents. Be prepared or there’s a chance you’ll be cold and wet.
MacFlier
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MacFlier
Lol!
rwellner98
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rw2
Lowflynjack
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Jack Fleetwood
I know people love other areas. There's a lot of people who love the North 40, but I got stuck there one year when Vintage was flooded. I hated ever minute of it! I felt isolated and it's quite a hike to get to the trams.
And yes, the yodeling is a great way to start the day!
GaryM
Pattern Altitude
Was that the secret to getting an AOPA hat? Because nothing else ever seemed to work.
rwellner98
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rw2
I'm not a fan of N40 either. But, man, S40 makes N40 look like a walk in the park. I absolutely applaud EAA for increasing the number of people that can get in and camp. But S40 needs some extra support still. This will be my first year in homebuilt. Seems OK, but that I'll still prefer Vintage when I can get a hook-up.
I have only been to Oshkosh 3 times all since 2018, with our RV so I don't have all that much experience. We get there on Thurs afternoon or eve before the event opens on Monday morning. Registrations closes at about 6PM. One time we stayed in the parking lot in line until the next morning when registration opens back up when we arrived after 6 PM. It was no big deal. By the time we get there on Thursday most of the camp spots up front have been filled for a week or more.
We like to camp behind the registration building, pull straight in and at the cross road turn left instead of right toward the rest of the campground. Plenty of good spots behind registration and usually a bit more room to set up. Everyone has been really nice and a great time was had every trip.
I'd much rather camp on site instead of fighting the traffic to get in each morning if you stayed off site.
Don't worry if it rains and the roads get muddy as they dry out fast.
We stay for 9-10 days and have enough water and holding tank capacity until about halfway through. Then we make sure our registration paperwork is left at the site and we drove over the dump station and refilled our fresh water there also. They also have a service where they will come to you but I am too cheap for that.
Our on board diesel generator runs non stop for the whole 10 days running the AC for our Dog. It is so quiet that no one noticed or complained. Some of the campers nearby ran there gensets also all night long. Don't show up with a loud generator no matter what time of day it is.
Our bikes are used all day long to get around and use bike locks to lock em to the fence when we go into the show. Got to have a bike. We always say we should ride our bikes more when we get home, but there is no where at home level like Oshkosh. The wind is what you notice at Oshkosh since it is so level, great for bikes.
Good luck with your trip, I bet you have a great time.
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tsts4
Pattern Altitude
That definitely is not always the case. I’ve seen the roads in Scholler turn to rivers of mud twice in the past 12 years that lasted in many places almost the entire show.
Solid nuggets of advice! I would like to think that I can reserve one of the shore-spots, the electric hookup sites, but we'll see how I change my mind by the time those are open for reservations. I don't have an issue paying what it costs to have the conveniences that would make the experience exponentially more enjoyable.
Here's hoping I go, and its fun!
I'm unable to take a bike since I usually fly in. A bike would be great if you want to get somewhere more quickly, but I get lots of great exercise by walking everywhere. I tend to lose weight at Oshkosh, even with beer and soft-serve ice cream as a major component of my Oshkosh diet.
Biggest issue with walking is all the motorized vehicles trying to run you over, especially kids on ATVs and electric bikes.
*Edit* Just reached 500 messages on POA so I can "Line Up and Wait" after 10 years. I would say I go for quality over quantity, but I'm not sure I can defend that.
I am sure you are right about some areas not drying out especially some of the low areas. I am new to camping at Oshkosh.
I was surprised how fast the pathways dried out in the afternoons. Like I said all 3 years we camped behind registration and it was possible to get in and out even if the roads were muddy like below. I was worried about getting our heavy freight liner RV out of there but it was not a problem where we were camped at. We are close to everything needed like bath house, red store, charging station and the exit.
Don't you get a 30X30' area to camp in? So I see no reason you can't take your truck right to your rented camper? We pull a open car trailer so we have a car to drive and even with the trailer we can get in and out if necessary camped behind registration. It is a bit of a bike ride to the show but it is a easy ride. And yes we lose a few pounds after a week of walking and riding.
I disconnect our trailer and park it next to our RV so we stay within our 30X30 area.
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bflynn
Final Approach
And more recently, good coolers. If you have a yeti, the local kids walking through won't just steal a beer, they'll take the whole cooler. Really, anything of value.
Yea I would be concerned about my yeti cooler if I had one. They seem pretty heavy to carry around?